The present application relates generally to a rail vehicle for performing maintenance operations, and more particularly to a tamper vehicle having a rail clamp for use in lifting, aligning, cross leveling and/or applying geometric corrections (generally referred to as “surfacing and lining” operations) to railroad tracks.
Generally, a railroad includes at least one pair of elongated, substantially parallel rails coupled to a plurality of laterally extending ties, which are disposed on a ballast bed. The rails may be constructed from a plurality of rail pieces joined by joint bars to form the rails in the track direction. The rails are coupled to the ties by tie plates and spikes and/or spring clip fasteners, which is an example of a class of fasteners that may be referred to as anchors. The ballast is generally hard particulate material such as, but not limited to, gravel. The ballast filled space between ties is referred to as a crib. Over time, normal wear and tear on the railroad may cause the rails to deviate from a desired geometric orientation.
Rail maintenance processes for addressing such concerns involve the use of machines such as a tamping machine. These machines may lift the rail to permit the carrying out of geometric corrections to the rail orientation, while also allowing tamping units to tamp the ballast bed adjacent to the tie being worked. However, it has been found that typical clamps for lifting the rail are not suitable for gripping and lifting of the rail at joint bars or other obstacles where the rail deviates from its typical I-beam profile, for example where there is a larger stem width.